The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued a new guidance concerning the use of criminal background checks in the employment application process. The EEOC has cautioned employers in the past about the use of criminal background checks to automatically disqualify employment applicants, because of its potential discriminatory impact on certain minority groups. The new guidance discourages blanket exclusions of applicants who have been convicted of crimes, and encourages the use of “individualized assessments” to determine whether the exclusion of an applicant because of a criminal record is job related and consistent with business necessity.
The new guidance is found on the EEOC’s website HERE
